Broken Wings
by Phil From Produce
Summary: In 1986, Diana Prince is unexpectedly paired up with 2 IADC agents, one of which is diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. She learns of the blessings and burdens of it in the midst of a biological hazard at a busy mall.
1. The IADC Anniversary

Chapter 1 - The IADC Anniversary

()()()

With a warm breeze to celebrate the summer's end, many of Washington, DC's citizens entered the washington mall to take in the air conditioning for what might have been the last time that year.

The year in question, was 1986. September 20th, 1986 to be exact. The date would've been Sophia Loren's 52nd birthday. Maybe such details mean nothing to the neurotypical mind, but the neurotypical mind would be foolish to think that numbers don't play a role in perhaps solving problems.

Or in this case, cementing friendships.

The IADC was founded on September 21st, years before, and some agents, friends of it's founder, Col. Steve Trevor, U.S. intelligence, wanted to celebrate the occasion with gifts for the founder.

One of which, was Steve's best friend, Diana Prince. Clad in her traditional slacks, and vest and dress shirt, her hair tied back in a ponytail. She was busy looking for a nice watch for Steve, as his was breaking apart and he was always discussing getting a new one. Of course, Steve was the man who helped get Diana her Mercedes, so she swore one day she'd return the favor. After all, the people who work at the IADC don't look like bums.

Another 2 agents, were the admirably strong Erica "Clutch" Callahan, and her friend and IADC tech-specialist, Bobby Sparrow. The friends had pooled their money for a gift, as Erica was better at socialising and Bobby wouldn't have had the faintest clue what to get Steve.

Erica got her nickname "Clutch" from her amazing driving skills. She actually had spent years street racing before she impressed Steve Trevor and a few other IADC agents with her skills...mostly by escorting Steve out of a dangerous situation completely by accident.

"Coffee?" Erica turned to Bobby.

Bobby didn't turn to her, he had his eyes on the electronics store across the way, a few moments later, he did turn to her.

"Wilkins or Reds?" asked Bobby as he turned.

"Wilkins's is just over there." Erica pointed to the coffee shop just over the way.

"Sounds good." Bobby followed Erica into the coffee shop.

The line-up seemed too short for such a big business. During their wait, Erica could be patient but Bobby began to fiddle with his hands. Erica didn't seem to mind, but she would put her hands in her pockets in the hopes that Bobby would do the same so he wouldn't look eccentric and awkward.

"What'll you have?" asked the Barista.

"Large Double-double." Erica started.

"The same." Bobby added.

At that moment, who should walk into the coffee shop, but Erica and Bobby's IADC friend, Diana Prince. She recognized Erica right away.

"Erica! Good to see you!" Diana smiled at her co-worker.

"Likewise." Erica replied.

The 2 ladies had worked with each other on a few assignments in the past. Most of Diana's work involved getting dirty in the field, and if she had any computer work, IRA took care of it. But if there was someone who knew IRA like a boss, it was Erica's friend Bobby, whom Diana Prince did not know.

"Who's your friend?" asked Diana

"Oh, that's Bobby. he works for the IADC too." Erica replied.

"Really? I would've known if you were an IADC guy." Diana replied.

"I'm in the computers department." replied Bobby.

"Oh...so that's why I haven't seen you." Diana smiled.

Bobby didn't lock eyes with Diana. His eyes were either over her shoulder or concentrated on her fingers, or her swinging ponytail, or at the TV behind the counter in the shop. Despite the fact that he didn't lock eyes with her, He heard every word she said.

"Nice rings, by the way." Bobby went entirely off topic, to which Diana felt a bit confused as to why this guy would comment on her rings like that.

"Oh yeah, they're really nice." Diana held them up.

"14 karat or 18?" Asked Bobby, almost instantly.

"24." Diana replied.

"Solid gold, right on. I wanted to get one of those big cuban chains sometime, those are cool. You know you can order them from this group in Cuba called Gold de la Cuesta, and it's said to be the best quality?" Bobby went a different way entirely.

Diana brushed off Bobby's talk about gold chains.

"Well, are you getting a gift for Steve too?" asked Diana

"Yes, we are." Erica smiled.

"We're pooling cash." Bobby added.

"Pooling cash?" Diana was a bit confused by that.

"He means we're putting our money together to buy a gift for him." Erica replied, before tapping Bobby on the shoulder.

"Oh, sorry." Bobby replied.

"It's ok, Bobby. You're doing fine." Erica replied.

Diana's face twisted a little bit. This guy seemed a little off the chain. What was with Erica tapping him on the shoulder and him apologizing in a heartbeat?

"So, I guess we'll catch you at work on Monday?" asked Erica.

"Monday it is. Have a good time shopping, nice to meet you, Bobby." Diana waved goodbye.

"Nice to meet you too." Bobby replied as Diana left the coffee shop. After she left, Erica turned to Bobby.

"What you think of her?" asked Erica.

"She's beautiful. Those eyes though, they're hard to look into." Bobby took a sip of his coffee.

"I know, her piercing eyes are just, wow." Erica took a sip of her hot coffee.

"Is she with anyone?" asked Bobby.

"Her and Steve are close, but I don't think she's with him. Her standards are beyond high, y'know?" Erica replied.

"Oh. I get it." Bobby took a sip of his coffee.

"No, don't take it personally, Bobby. You two wouldn't match up well anyways." Said Erica.

"She doesn't like weirdos?" asked Bobby.

"No, it's not like that. She's just very protective of herself. She's been that way since I met her. But she's an awesome friend. You just have to get to know her."

"Sure." Bobby said in a careless tone, while he took another sip of his coffee. "No one likes weirdos."

"Not so. I like you." Erica replied.

"Aw, thanks." replied Bobby. "But you know what I mean, when I say that."

"I know, I know. You'll find someone. It'll happen when you least expect it." Erica replied.

Bobby seemed to depress a little bit at that comment. He didn't believe what Erica had said at all.

"Well, if i didn't see so many unmarried men around, i'd believe that." Bobby replied.

"It's because unmarried men don't care about themselves. Just keep yourself in good shape. Go lift some weights, girls love that." Erica reinforced her previous statement.

"Shallow girls, you mean." Bobby was negative.

"Wow, you're not making this easy, are you?" Erica crossed her arms.

"Here's the thing, Erica." Bobby swirled a stir stick in his coffee. "If you were only getting flirted with by men after you went to the gym, I mean, let's say you were out of shape, and you went to the gym, and got in shape, and then, and ONLY then, men were asking you out...wouldn't you feel like they were shallow and stuff?"

Erica understood where Bobby was coming from when he said that.

"It all comes down to who wants it more." Erica took a swig of her coffee, as it had cooled and she could drink it easier. "If you want to have a woman, you'll make yourself presentable, and if she wants you, she'll make herself presentable. So wouldn't you want to be in the highest standard for her if you like her? And at the same time, she wouldn't want to have to keep driving you to the hospital if you were having heart problems because of a poor diet and no exercise, right?"

"I guess that makes sense." Bobby replied.

"Of course it does. And who doesn't want big muscles?" asked Erica.

"I wouldn't mind it. Being like the Hulk." Bobby referred to the wrestler "Hey, they're doing another Wrestlemania next year in the pontiac silverdome."

"Cool." Erica brushed it off. She didn't care about pro wrestling at all.

"Oh ok..." Bobby squished his lips together and stopped talking about it.

()()()

Meanwhile, Diana was off searching for watches, when she could hear a commotion off in the mall's open spaces.

"OW! She bit me!" yelled a woman.

With that, Diana rushed out of the watch shop, and noticed what was going on. One woman had begun attacking mall patrons and randomly biting them for no reason.

"What the..." Another patron jumped in, and tackled the woman down, and held her down for security to arrive. But as the security guards arrived, one of the patrons who was bit, bit into the guard's arm.

"OW!" The guard yelled out. He grabbed the patron who bit him, and held him down for a second. Then, he began to feel a frog in his throat, so he tried to clear it. But then, he forgot why he was grabbing the man in the first place, and soon, had an urge to bite other people around him.

"Oh no!" Diana knew something was going wrong. The bitten were biting others, as if they were trying to eat them.

Then the grotesque and ogrish of frightening fantasy became reality. This was the beginnings of a zombie outbreak!

()()()


	2. Knee deep in the Dead

Chapter 2 - Knee deep in the dead

()()()

Screams filled the mall from the front to the back. People were in a panic, rushing anywhere and everywhere.

"Something's wrong." Erica stood up from her chair and reached into her blazer for a gun.

"I sense it too." Bobby pulled his gun from the inside of his denim jacket.

The 2 IADC agents ran out into the mall's corridors and ran towards the screaming that people were running away from. When they got to the spot, they could see the reasoning for the panic.

"Stop!" Erica yelled out.

"Come on, Quit it!" Bobby yelled at the group of zombies.

The group refused to listen, and instead, turned their interest to the IADC agents. Without hesitation, the 2 agents raised their firearms, and took aim, and fired 7mm rounds into the zombies charging at them, to take them down.

Meanwhile, Diana Prince knew what she had to do. Dropping everything, she began to transform into her amazon alter-ego, Wonder Woman. With lasso in hand, she began to lasso the loose zombies and throw them against the walls to take them out.

When that became insufficient, she began to rush and attack the zombies face to face. she would throw them over her shoulder and against the walls, throwing punches, being very careful not to hit in the jaw at the risk of getting infected herself.

During the fracas, she looked over and saw her IADC friends surrounded by Zombies. She quickly jumped over the crowd, and joined them.

"Hey! it's Wonder Woman!" Erica saw the amazon heroine face to face.

"Heads down!" Wonder Woman ordered, and Erica and Bobby hit the ground, While Wonder Woman swung her lasso around like a whip, and cleared a space for some breathing room.

"We've got to get people somewhere safe." Erica got back to her feet as Bobby did the same.

"The Electronics Shop! It's got a large backroom where we can herd survivors." Bobby informed his IADC co-workers.

"You'd pick the electronics shop, wouldn't you?" asked Erica.

"It's home to me!" Bobby ejected the empty clip from his gun, and loaded another clip.

"12 shots...Count em." Bobby said to himself, loading the gun.

By this time, the mall was riddled with zombies, front to back. The survivors that wern't infected jumped into the circle that Wonder Woman had formed.

"Let's work our way over!" Wonder Woman jumped towards the direction of the electronics shop, and began whipping her lasso to create a path for the survivors while Erica and Bobby covered her right and left flanks.

With a forceful push, the group got into the electronics shop, and were able to get to the door of the backroom...only to discover it was locked.

"Crap!" Bobby couldn't open the door.

With that, Wonder Woman put her hands on the doorhandle, and ripped the door from it's hinges and allowed the group entry.

"After you?" Wonder Woman held her arm out for her co-workers' entry.

Bobby ran into the room, and began to go to work. Erica began leading survivors into the room, while Wonder Woman held off the zombies that were wandering into the electronics shop.

"We'll need to get a message out to the colonel." Bobby began setting up a computer.

"What do you mean?" Erica rushed over to bobby.

"According to government procedure, A bio-terrorist act calls for an instant quarantine. Then they exterminate. If we can get a message out to the authorities, it might buy us some time to get out of the mall. Maybe save a few lives." Bobby hooked the Apple Macintosh computer into a modem.

"Wouldn't a phone call be easier?" asked Erica.

"You wanna go out there and find a phone?" asked Bobby, not even bothering to look Erica in the eye as he set up the computer. Erica figured Bobby had something in mind.

"What are you going to do?" asked Erica.

"I'm going to relay a message to IRA and Steve, Via the internet. The TCP/IP connection is set up in this store." Bobby turned the computer on, and waited for the connection to start up.

"You know, I hope Diana's OK. I'm worried about her." Erica changed the subject.

"Me too." Bobby turned to Erica, before turning back to the computer to set up an electronic mail message.

()

Steve Trevor walked fast through the hallway down to the computer room where IRA awaited him. He was given a message from the computer engineers that there was a message for him, and that it was urgent.

He arrived at the computer room and went into conversation with IRA.

"IRA, what is this urgent message?" Steve sat down in the chair.

"Urgent message from IADC agent Bobby Sparrow. Bio-terrorism acts happening at the washington mall. There are survivors. Request you prevent counteractive measures to help rescue survivors." IRA spoke in it's robotic voice.

"Bio-terrorist?" Steve was bewildered at that word. But as he spoke, there was a knock at the door.

"Sir?" asked an IADC official at the door.

"What is it?" asked Steve.

"There's something on the TV about zombies at the mall. And no, i'm not kidding." The official spoke in serious tone.

"That sounds strange." Steve turned back to IRA "...IRA, can you send a message to the computer that sent you that message..."

()

Back in the electronics shop, Bobby awaited any reply that came. And when it did, Erica jumped.

"Wow...this world's growing up." Erica was amazed. She was still using snail mail for all her text messages.

"It's not too hard, as long as you have a 56 kb connection, you can send short messages." Bobby kept his eyes on the computer to read Steve's message to him "Of course, IRA's a high-tech machine, it can make things happen quickly."

Bobby read Steve's reply through IRA.

 _"This is Steve Trevor. I'll send a phone call to the authorities not to pump gas into the mall just yet. In the meantime, try to round up as many survivors as you possibly can. Are there any other IADC agents with you?"_

As Bobby read the message, Diana Prince walked into the room, shed of her amazon identity.

"Diana! You're alright." Erica replied.

"Yeah, I got hung up with a bunch of zombies." Diana replied. "What's going on?"

"Bobby's talking to Steve through IRA."

"... _I'm here, Erica's here, Diana's here...we're all fine. There's 22 survivors with us."_ Bobby entered in his electronic mail, and sent it off to IRA.

()

Back at the IADC, Steve was already directing traffic to his agents, telling them to make phone calls.

"Ok." Steve prepared his message for his agents in the mall. "Ok, I want you guys to escort all the survivors out of that mall, and make sure it's all clear." Steve told IRA.

A few seconds passed, and the computer did it's job.

"The message was sent to IADC agent Bobby Sparrow." IRA replied.

"Good...hopefully we can get as many people out of there as possible."

()

"Hey Bobby, can I send a message to Steve?" Diana walked over to the computer.

"I already told him..." Bobby snapped his arm back to block Diana from approaching the computer. "...That you're okay."

Diana nudged back a bit.

"Are you OK?" asked Diana.

"I'm perfectly fine." Bobby didn't look at Diana when he said it.

"Wow...you're rude." Diana commented.

Just as Bobby was about to reply to that, Erica stepped in and stopped a potential tirade of insults.

"Uh Diana, I need to talk to you in the other room." Erica turned to Bobby. "Bobby, what else are you going to do?"

Bobby cleared his throat to speak. "There's a security camera set-up in the mall...i'm going to try and set it up in here to see if there are any other survivors in this mall."

"Ok, good." Erica guided Diana towards the other side of the room where the survivors were all hunkered down.

Diana was a mix of confused and a bit angry.

"What's with that guy?" Diana asked Erica. "He's rude."

"He's different." Erica motioned for Diana to sit down. "His brain doesn't work like yours or mine..."

()()()


	3. The Curse of Hans Asperger

Chapter 3 - The curse of Hans Aspergers

()()()

"Different?" Asked Diana.

"Bobby has Asperger's Syndrome." Erica said it straightforward.

"Aspergers Syndrome?" Diana asked, unknowing of the disorder.

"It's a mental condition. He doesn't think like a neurotypical mind does. He's a non social human being who just happens to be obsessed with numbers, technology and Vanna White." Erica replied to Diana's question.

"Non-social, so that's why he snapped at me." Diana turned to Bobby, who was busy hooking up a television set to the computer.

"You invaded his personal space. He doesn't know you very well." Erica replied.

"And you 2 are friends?" asked Diana.

"He does better in business relationships than intimate ones. We have a business partnership of sorts. I come up with ideas, he supports me in carrying them out, and we're a successful team." Erica smiled.

"Like, like what?" asked Diana

"His number obsession. He can count cards. We were in this hotel and casino with my girlfriend, and we're sitting at the blackjack table, and in 2 hours, we cleaned this dealer out, and raised $25,000 from a pooled stack of $500." Erica chuckled a bit.

"That's amazing." Diana lit up before asking the 2 dollar question. "Does he have a girlfriend?"

"He doesn't. He's unwillingly chased off every girl he ever had a crush on." Erica's voice drooped a bit. "

"And he's obsessed with Vanna White? Like a stalker?" asked Diana.

"Sort of. He likes her, but he acts as if it's something to be embarrassed about. It's weird. It's what he calls his "Aspie obesession." For now, it's Vanna White. Elizabeth Shue was a few months ago, and she was all he thought about. Along with how she was in the karate kid and stuff. But now he can look at her as if nothing was wrong."

Diana still had no idea why this guy could be that way.

"Can I talk to him?" Asked Diana.

"Sure...try to find something you both have interests in...he'll warm up for sure." Erica replied.

"OK then." Diana got up off the chair, and walked over to Bobby, who was centered on the computer, setting up the connection.

"Uh...Bobby..." Diana began. "I just wanted to say i'm sorry for scaring you."

"You didn't scare me." Bobby kept working on the computer.

"Ok then, i'm sorry for getting in your personal space." Diana changed her words.

"It's OK." Bobby didn't even turn to look. "I'm just a weirdo is all."

"No, you're not." Diana spoke in a tone of denial. "it's not a crime to look at me when you speak." Diana tried to coax Bobby to turn to her when he spoke.

Bobby stopped hitting keys and turned to Diana.

"There, that's better." Diana smiled.

But as Diana smiled, Bobby's eyes shot back to the computer. Diana grabbed a chair and sat down beside Bobby, but not too close.

"You must know a lot about IRA back at the IADC building."

"It's a supercomputer by hardware & software standards. Of course with a 512 Megahertz processor and a 35 Gigabyte hard drive, it can do tasks at a greater speed than your average home computer, as well as hold mutliple files. Of course, when Col. Trevor allots the engineer department the funds we requested for next year, we can give IRA a 1028 megahertz superprocessor, and expand the hard drive to 70 gigabytes, so it'll function at double the speeds with more space for more files...with our Operating System updates placing it at version 5.2...overall, that helps field agents like yourself deal with criminals more efficiently.." Bobby shot off facts while typing more keys on the apple macintosh.

"Wow. You're fluent in chinese." Diana joked.

"No, i'm not speaking chinese, i'm speaking in plain english." Bobby didn't understand sarcasm.

"I was being sarcastic." Diana replied.

"Oh..." Bobby paused for a second.

"It's OK." Diana replied. "What are you doing?"

"I'm hoping to tap into the security cameras in the mall so I can see if we have any more survivors amongst us." Bobby said "And it's a lot easier if you wern't talking."

Diana made a sour look on her face.

"Why are you so rude?" asked Diana.

"I'm not being rude, you're talking to me when i'm trying to work." Bobby kept hitting keys, entering command prompts and thinking.

"I'm trying to be nice to you. I want to get to know you." Diana said it straightforward.

"Oh...well, why didn't you say so?" Bobby extended his hand, unwittingly thinking things were still OK. "Bobby Sparrow, IADC."

"Diana Prince, IADC." Diana shook Bobby's hand with a confused look on her face, and a confused tone in her voice.

"Sorry if i'm coming off rude, OK? I just want to get this set up. And talking is kind of distracting." Bobby turned back to the computer.

"Ok, i'm sorry...just one more thing." Diana asked.

"Shoot." Bobby replied.

"Is there a reason you can't look me in the eye? Like a medical condition or something?"

Bobby stopped typing for a moment.

"Erica told you, didn't she?"

"She said it was Asperger's syndrome. She said you have it. Is it hard to look girls in the eyes?" asked Diana.

"You want an honest answer? I think you're beautiful, Diana. You're gorgeous. But your eyes are piercing sharp. Your smile makes them sharper. I think it's beautiful you're blessed with that, but you're hard to look in the eyes. I'm sorry if that comes off as creepy."

"Well, thank you for the compliment, and that's not being sarcastic. I'll leave you to your work." Diana got up from the chair and walked out of the room.

Erica was busy looking at phones in the electronics store, and awaited for Diana's opinion of her friend.

"Are you 2 friends now?" asked Erica.

"I'm not sure." Diana Replied. "He's certainly strange. He seems to know a lot about computers. He basically just described IRA's guts to me."

"He's IRA's head technician. If IRA breaks, he fixes it. If Steve needs the best computer tech in the IADC, He calls Bobby."

"Ok, we're set up!" Bobby called from the computer, with the CCTV set up beside it.

"Right on. I could never do that." Diana started.

"All you need is to know where the Co-axial is in each store. Every single one has a Security camera hooked up with Closed Circuit Televisions all over the mall. I just rerouted all the cameras in the mall to this computer, which is hooked into this TV here. I can switch cameras at will." Bobby hit some buttons on the computer to show how he could watch the mall all around. He was essentially the eye in the sky.

"That's amazing." Diana replied.

"Now here's what i'm thinking...We need to get as many survivors as possible to this location, right? I know Erica is incredible with guns and hand-to-hand combat. Are you good with weapons at all?" asked Bobby.

"Not really, i'm more of a negotiator." Diana replied.

"Here's what I think." Erica jumped in. Bobby kept quiet to let her speak. "Diana and I will sweep the mall for survivors, Bobby, you stay here and support us with the security set up. We'll get some walkies from within the shop here, and you can contact us with any information you get."

"Sure...if I happen to see Wonder Woman again, i'll see if I can get her to join you...she'll probably be a big help." Bobby added.

"Yes, yes she is." Diana smiled.

"Do you have a gun?" Bobby asked Diana.

"No." Diana replied.

Bobby pulled his firearm from his jacket, and passed it to Diana, and passed her 4 clips.

"Be careful, it's loaded. There's 12 rounds left in the gun. There's 12 shots in each spare clip." Bobby informed Diana. "Count each shot as you fire. If you lose count, pull the clip and count the remaining rounds when you get a chance."

"I never was that good with guns." Diana replied.

"But IADC training requires you know your way around the basic beretta cheetah." replied Bobby.

"She'll be ok, she's with me." Erica replied. "Now C'mon. Let's clean up this mess and call it a day."

"Lets." Diana agreed.

The 2 IADC agents walked out of the electronics shop, and stepped knee deep into the dead.

()()()


	4. The agents who knew her secret

Chapter 4 - The Agents who knew her secret

()()()

The mall smelled really bad for what it was worth. The zombies were not really undead, they were more like infected humans, and the infections made them sick. There was piles of vomit, and the smells of acrid body fluid were in the air. Both Diana & Erica had to cover their noses to get through it.

"Ugh...doesn't smell that good." Erica commented.

"Be thankful you've never been a nurse that had to clean the bedpans." Diana joked.

"No kidding." Erica replied.

At the next turn, Erica and Diana saw the Reds Coffee Shop. It was the worst. There was a lot of bodies on the floor, and the stench made both women not want to go anywhere near the spot.

As they turned, Erica had a crackle on her walkie-talkie.

"Bobby?" asked Erica.

"Yeah...Erica, i've been watching the security cameras, there's a mother and child who've locked themselves in the bathroom at Reds. They look pretty shaken up, Over!"

"Ok, thanks for the tip. Over & Out." Erica clicked off the walkie.

The 2 ladies pinched their noses as they tiptoed over the human minefield. Stepping on one body could've meant they would've tripped and possibly gotten infected on an exposed nail or tooth. But they were very careful, and made their way over.

"Ok, here's the women's washroom." Diana knocked on the doorway.

"Who is it?" a voice replied in a panicked tone.

"It's an IADC agent. We're here to help you!" Diana replied.

"Is the pathway safe? I'm here with my son!" the voice replied.

"Yes, i'll escort you to our safehouse. You'll be safe there." Diana replied.

The lady opened up the doorway, and she came out with her son, who was kindergarten aged.

"Thank God you're here." The lady wrapped one arm around Diana while holding her son's hand with the other.

"I'll take them back to the safehouse." Diana told Erica.

"Ok, be careful." Erica replied.

Diana turned to the mother and her son.

"Ok, follow me. Be very careful going through the restaurant. There's bodies on the floor." Diana informed the mother.

"Ok, let me cover his eyes." The mother picked up her son, and held him up.

"Ok Josh, you're going to need to close your eyes and plug your nose. Don't open them until I say you can." The mother instructed her child.

"Ok, mommy." The little boy did what he was told.

Diana led the survivors out to the restaurant. There was a small path where they could slip by everyone, and Diana was quick to guide the mother and child through it. Then came the easy trip to the electronics store. Diana opened the door to the temporary safehouse, and let the mother and child inside.

"Ok, stay here until me and my partner come and get you." Diana instructed the mother.

"Thank you." The kid replied. The sweetness and innocence in his voice totally caught Diana off guard and she smiled at him.

"You're most welcome. You're being a brave little boy, keep it up. I've gotta go back and help my friend." Diana turned around, and ran back out into the mall.

With no one watching her, Diana figured this was a good time to become her amazon alter-ego, Wonder Woman. With a graceful spin, she committed to becoming the amazon heroine. But what she didn't realize...was that an IADC agent saw the whole event transpire on a camera set up a few metres away.

Wonder Woman booked it for the Reds, Where Erica was just coming out. She noticed that it wasn't her IADC co-agent, but Wonder Woman running at her.

"Wonder Woman? Where's Diana Prince, do you know?" Erica was a bit panicked.

"She's fine." Wonder Woman put her hands on Erica's shoulders to calm her. "She's back at the safehouse, she ran into me on the way over, and i'm taking her spot with you."

"Well...OK." Erica replied.

At that moment, the walkie crackled.

"Bobby?" Asked Erica.

"Erica...I see Wonder Woman found you, Over." Bobby spoke.

"Yeah...is Diana with you, Over?" asked Erica.

"Actually...She's with you right now. You might not believe it, but Wonder Woman and Diana Prince are one..."

Erica turned to Wonder Woman and had a look of shock on her face. Wonder Woman did a facepalm, as she knew she screwed up.

"But how?" Erica didn't believe it "...over."

"I saw her transform over the cameras. Over." Bobby replied.

Wonder Woman was completely bewildered. Sure, this wasn't the first time someone discovered her true identity, but it was hard to keep it a secret. She had to be more careful, and now she had to hope and pray her IADC co-agents wouldn't tell anyone who she really was outside of work.

"Don't tell anyone...this has been mine and Steve's secret for years." Wonder Woman put her hands on Erica's shoulders again. "Please."

"Diana, you're a friend. I'll do anything for you. Secrets included." Erica replied.

"Thank you..." Wonder Woman hugged Erica and she hugged her back.

"Diana, if you can hear me..." Bobby spoke through the walkie "...My lips are sealed too. Just give me a second, cause this is actually...really awesome."

"Thank you too, Bobby." Wonder Woman spoke into the walkie.

"Shall we continue?" asked Erica.

"Good plan." replied Wonder Woman. "We'll check the food court next."

"Lead the way. Since you seem to be quite the one with that lasso." Erica commented as the two ladies walked together.

"It's a gift." Wonder Woman smiled.

Then the walkie crackled once again. Erica pulled it from her blouse and replied.

"Here." Erica replied.

"I see you're headed for the food court. I've been checking the cameras, there's a group of survivors in the back corridor. 6 people. Be careful, the food court's got some zombies in it, Over."

"Do you have an exact count, over?" asked Erica

"I count...18. no...17...yeah...17. They're bunched over at the sandwich tree, over." Bobby supported his team with as much detailed information as he had.

"Ok, that helps. Thank you Bobby. Out." Erica put the walkie away.

Wonder Woman led the way while Erica followed. The 2 ladies reached the food court, and immediately caught the attention of the infected.

"Ok, nice and easy." Wonder Woman told Erica, before jumping into action.

Within seconds, Wonder Woman was all over the food court, jumping from table to table and kicking the infected with her boots, which were solid and had no risk of being penetrated by a tooth.

Erica on the other side of the court, fired her gun, and shot her fair share of the infected before they could attack her, and she used the advice that Bobby gave out, and efficiently kept track of the number of bullets she had left.

Within moments, the infected were taken down. Now, it was a matter of getting the survivors out from the backroom.

"I'll get them." Wonder Woman jumped over a counter to open a doorway to the backroom. It was locked, so she used her super strength to tear the door open, while Erica watched the food court to insure that none of the infected were coming back.

While she waited, the Walkie crackled again.

"Present." Erica replied.

"Erica, I think I might know how this whole mess happened, Over." Bobby spoke excitedly.

"Well, if anyone could figure it out, it's you...Over." Erica almost forgot to say 'over.'

"Here's what might have happened. Now, while you and Wonder Woman were doing your thing, one of the survivors was reading a paper, and I borrowed the stocks from him. Turns out that Wilkins coffee is at low shares and Red's have been going up for the last 3 months...over." Said Bobby.

"That still doesn't make sense, over." Erica replied.

"I'm getting to the good part. Now, there's a ton of bodies over at the Red's coffee shop where you rescued that mother and child, and there's a large group of men & women in suits hiding in the backroom at Wilkin's." Bobby looked at the CCTV screen. "Doesn't it strike you as suspicious, Over?"

"You mean to tell me that this was over stock quotes? That's a long shot, y'know...over." Erica replied.

"Yes it is, but you've got to admit, it's not out of the question, over." Bobby replied, and as he spoke, Wonder Woman came over the counter with 5 survivors, people who worked in the food court.

"I heard the crackling, more survivors elsewhere?" asked Wonder Woman.

"Yeah...and Bobby's thinking out loud...he suspects this outbreak is over the stock market." Erica juggled the walkie talkie.

"That's a pretty strange suspicion." Wonder Woman replied.

"He's got a legit reason, would you prefer to talk to him? I'll get our survivors back to the safehouse." Erica guided the group away.

"Ok, be careful." Wonder Woman took the walkie-talkie and called Bobby. "Bobby, this is Wonder Woman here, You were saying?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Ok..." Bobby took a short pause. "...Wonder Woman. I was reading my stock quotes in the paper, and Red's stock value is high, and Wilkins is dropping. There's a ton of bodies all over Red's coffee shop, and a group of suits hiding in the backroom over at Wilkins. They're also very well stocked. There's lots of food, blankets, and even a movie on a projector TV, over." Bobby relayed the information to Wonder Woman.

"So you think that somebody from Wilkin's poisoned the coffee at Red's, and the people at Red's drinking their coffee got infected and began attacking people?" Wonder Woman asked.

"...and when the news gets out that Red's made a terrible mistake, and Wilkin's blows the whistle on them, claiming they cannot be trusted and that people should buy the Wilkin's brand instead...causing Wilkin's stock prices to rise, and lining their pockets. All they have to do is wait it out in their little fortress in style, Over."

Wonder Woman took all the words in, and thought that it could be possible.

"Wow...you really have that all figured out." Wonder Woman crackled on the walkie.

"Yeah...over." Bobby replied.

"Well, it's still too early to point fingers, but if anything, send that information to Steve and IRA. Meanwhile, we still need to sweep the mall for survivors. Erica's coming over with the group from the food court. Over and out."

"I hear ya. Out." Bobby put his walkie down, and opened up the electronic mail program, and typed in a message for IRA to read to Steve Trevor back in the IADC building.

()()()


	5. The Lasso of Truth

Chapter 5 - The Lasso of Truth

()

For the next hour, Wonder Woman and Erica dealt with the infected. Wonder Woman would knock them out with her Lasso, while Erica would retrieve the survivors and escort them back to safety. During this time, Bobby was being extra observant with the large number of security cameras set up all over the mall, totalling 40 cameras.

Within the hour, The group officially declared their adversaries title - they wern't zombies, they weren't undead coming to life. They were merely infected human beings under the influence of their own sickness. therefore, they all agreed on the term "infected."

The whole ordeal came down to one last place, The Sears on the west wing of the mall. Bobby had spotted a young girl hiding in a circular coat rack.

"Copy that, Bobby. I'm going to get her, Over." Wonder Woman replied on the walkie-talkie.

"Are we gonna run into any infected on the way?" Erica thought out loud.

"Let's ask." Wonder Woman opened up communications between herself and Bobby again. "Are there any infected between here and the Sears?" asked Wonder Woman.

"I'm checking cameras 23, 24, and 25, and nothing...wait...camera 26 shows that there are 6 infected in the Sears. You're at minimal risk, Over." Bobby confirmed.

"Thanks Bobby...You're a big help...really, you are." Wonder Woman replied.

"Thanks Diaa, I mean Wonder Woman, Over." Bobby replied.

"Good save. Over and Out." Wonder Woman hung up the radio.

The 2 ladies ran for the sears and found the infected victims wandering aimlessly about the Sears clothing departments.

"Get the girl, i'll take care of the infected." Wonder Woman ordered Erica while whipping her lasso around.

It didn't take too long for Wonder Woman to finish off the infected, one by one, she took them all down by whipping her lasso around. Erica didn't even have to fire one round out of her gun.

Meanwhile, Erica found the coat rack where the little girl was hiding and opened it up.

"Get away!" The girl jumped out and swung her fist at Erica, who quickly dodged the fist, and was quick to assure the young girl she wasn't infected.

"Hey, hey, calm down, i'm not one of them." Erica spoke calmly as she held the little girl's hand.

Wonder Woman came over to see that the little girl was OK. Just really, really scared. The girl looked up at Wonder Woman, who smiled at her, bringing a wave of comfort.

"Wonder Woman?" asked the little girl.

"That's me." Wonder Woman replied, picking up the young girl. "Let's get you somewhere safe...By the way, what's your name?"

"It's Madison." the girl replied. She seemed totally at ease despite the fact that she was alone and that she wasn't with a parent or guardian. On that note, when the girls left the Sears to return to the safehouse, Erica contacted Bobby to ask a question.

"Bobby, we've recovered the girl. Is there anyone there who has a daughter named Madison, aged 5, blonde hair, wearing a Jem & the Holograms shirt?"

"I'll see." Bobby put the walkie down, and walked into the room where the survivors were huddled down.

"Listen...my friends have rescued a young girl, blonde hair, wearing a Jem and the Holograms shirt, has anyone..."

"Madison! You found Madison!?" A woman got ambitious.

"Yes, we found a girl by that description. she's being brought over..."

The woman in question didn't even wait for Bobby to finish his sentence. He felt a little offended that the woman didn't allow him to finish, but he brushed it off, andf figured it was best to head back to the computer and keep on checking the mall's security cameras and keeping an eye on his fellow IADC agents.

The woman didn't even wait for her daughter to be brought over to the safehouse before rushing out to meet her daughter, who was still in Wonder Woman's arms.

"Madison! Oh my God!" the mother gripped her daughter and held her close, and cried tears of joy to be finally reunited.

"I'll go check in with Bobby, see if he's seen anything." Erica rushed ahead.

"I'll catch up." Wonder Woman replied, before turning back to mother and child.

"We're not safe here, let's get back to the safehouse." Wonder Woman guided the survivors in with her.

Erica was already at the safehouse, and went over to Bobby.

"Ok, now we're down to the last bit, we'll need you to help escort the survivors outside, and we'll cover you." Erica spoke, just as Wonder Woman guided the mother and her daughter to the group of waiting survivors. She then returned to her fellow IADC agents to discuss the extraction.

"Ok, Bobby, I need you to guide the people outside." Wonder Woman pointed to the mall doors, a good 100 metres away. "We'll cover your sides, and then we'll go back to get the Wilkin's guys out."

"Copy." Bobby got up from his chair. "I'll need my beretta back."

"Oh, no problem." Wonder Woman fished the gun from the Amazonite cummerbund she had, and handed it back to Bobby along with the clips.

"Thanks." Bobby put the gun back into his jacket's inner pocket, and the clips onto his belt.

"I'll round up the survivors." Erica went into the backroom.

While Erica went to go get the survivors, Wonder Woman wanted to question Bobby again.

"Are you absolutely sure that everyone's cleared out of the mall? The Wilkin's guys are the last to go?" asked Wonder Woman.

"I've gone through every security camera, over and over. I can't think of anywhere else people might be hiding." Bobby replied while his eyes darted all around Wonder Woman's figure, not staying in one spot.

"Well, we did a sweep of the mall and covered every possible spot." Said Wonder Woman. "So I guess that means we're clear to evacuate after we go and get the Wilkin's guys."

"Sounds good to me." Bobby sat up from the computer and awaited the survivors, totalling about 50 people.

"Alright, there might be some infected in some of the businesses, so stay in the centreway, and follow Bobby here." Wonder Woman ordered the survivors who were there.

"Ok." Bobby drew his gun and began to lead the survivors out into the halls. "Let's move."

The IADC agents protected the 50 survivors, who were eager to leave after the nightmare that occured to them. The escorting was without a problem. Bobby opened up the mall doors and looked outside, and noticed that an army of police were lined up outside, ready to fire in.

"This is Bobby Sparrow, IADC agent!" Bobby yelled out to the police. "I have a group of survivors with me!" Bobby yelled out.

"Ok, send them out, single file, and slowly!" Said a cop.

Bobby turned back to the group of survivors, and allowed them to exit the mall single file. Wonder Woman and Erica watched the mall's shops, watching for any infected that might be baited out. Fortunately, there were none.

As soon as the last survivor was herded out, Bobby took a glance back into the mall, and noticed that someone was moving out of the Wilkin's coffee shop. He looked like the barista that served Erica and Bobby their drinks earlier in the day.

"Hey! There's a guy there!" Bobby turned and ran towards the man, with Wonder Woman in pursuit. She caught up to Bobby and took over the situation.

"I'll get him, cover me!" Wonder Woman booked it ahead, as she could run much faster than Bobby.

"All yours, Wonder Woman!" Bobby yelled out, trying to keep up with the Amazon.

Of course, the barista couldn't outrun Wonder Woman, nor avoid the snare of her lasso, which wrapped around him and took him down.

"Yes!" Bobby yelled out, catching up to Wonder Woman, who was already going through the routine.

"Under the power of my lasso, you are compelled to tell the truth." Wonder Woman tightened the lasso's grip around her victim's waist. "Now...why did you run away from me and my IADC friend?"

"I...was going to confirm the body of Red Henson." The barista replied.

"Confirm the body? As in confirm that he is dead?"

"Yes." the barista spoke in a monotone voice.

"Tell me." Wonder Woman flipped her bangs back over, as they were covering her eyes over her headband. "Was the outbreak started because of stock prices?"

"Yes." the barista replied.

"How so?" Asked Wonder Woman.

"Jim Wilkins wanted to kill Red Henson, because if he's dead, his executives will be fighting for the position of CEO, causing his stocks to plummit." Wonder Woman slowly turned to Bobby as the barista spoke. "The infections would be blamed on Red's management, and people won't trust them anymore, and instead, buy Wilkin's coffee."

Wonder Woman smiled at Bobby, whose suspicions were proven correct. She turned back to the fallen barista.

"Ok, when I release you, you'll forget this conversation with Wonder Woman ever happened, and you'll hand yourself over to the police and tell them what happened today with the outbreak." Wonder Woman slackened her lasso and allowed the Barista to walk away. Of course, Wonder Woman and Bobby followed to make sure he was headed for the exits.

As they walked, Bobby could hear a noise. Wonder Woman didn't hear it, but the Wilkin's coffee shop backroom opened up, and out rushed Jim Wilkin's with a gun.

"Watch out!" Bobby yelled out, and grabbed the barista and took him down to protect him from getting shot. Wonder Woman turned to her side to see what Bobby had spotted. With only a nano-second to react, Wilkins pointed his gun at her, but Wonder Woman was able to get her bracelets up in time to deflect the gunfire. Wilkins fired 4 shots, realized he wasn't going to kill Wonder Woman with any of them, so he flung his gun to the side, and ran.

Bobby was up like a marine, chasing after Wilkins to take him down. Wonder Woman was quick on the heels, and tried to lasso Wilkins, but he took cover behind a corner.

"He went around the corner!" Bobby ran for the corner, but as soon as he turned it, Wilkins took him by suprise, and wrapped his arm around his neck, and pulled Bobby's gun from his denim jacket.

"Ah, shoot!" Bobby yelled out as Wilkins held him hostage.

"No, but I will!" Wilkins grinded as Wonder Woman turned the corner to see the mess Bobby got himself into.

"Don't come no closer, or i'll blow his brains out!"

()()()


	6. The Lack of Common Sense

Chapter 6 - The lack of Common sense

()()

"Don't! I swear i'll blow this cop's brains all over the mall!" Wilkins held the gun tight against Bobby's head.

"Crap." Bobby swore under his breath.

"Well, good job, Bobby." Wonder Woman put her hands on her hips as she stood there.

"Hey, I didn't expect this to happen, y'know." Bobby replied, as he totally understood that form of sarcasm, as it wasn't the first time he ever heard it.

"Why don't you shoot at me?" Wonder Woman replied.

Wilkins knew the legend of the amazons and how they could deflect bullets.

"Why? So you can deflect all the shots?" Asked Wilkins.

"Why not?" Bobby asked. "You're scared of a woman?"

"Let's find out!" Wilkins raised Bobby's gun, and began to fire off round after round. Sure enough, Wonder Woman was able to deflect all the shots fired at her.

"11,10,9,8,7,6,5,4..." Bobby counted quietly to himself.

Then came the last 4 shots. Wilkins took careful aim and tested Wonder Woman's ability to deflect the fire. Then, he quickly rapped off 4 quick shots.

"That's it!" Bobby then grabbed Wilkin's arm, and threw him over his shoulder and onto the mall floor, where Wilkins slammed against it.

"AH!" Wilkins hit the floor and the gun flew out of his hand. Wonder Woman quickly jumped in to assist.

"Good throw!" Wonder Woman flipped Wilkins over, and held him down.

"He had my gun, there were 12 shots left. I just counted them." Bobby told Wonder Woman.

"You counted the shots? You're absolutely sure that there were 12?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Sure. Let me show you." Bobby picked up his gun...and then he pointed it directly at his own head and nearly pulled the trigger.

"NO!" Wonder Woman quickly kicked the gun from Bobby's hand. "DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!" she screamed.

Bobby began to shake rapidly. He began to lose his temper.

"Damn it! Shoot! Stupid! I'm so dumb!" Bobby began to hit himself in the head with his own hands. Diana had no clue what to do, or what she had just triggered.

At that moment, Erica came rushing over to stand next to Bobby.

"Bobby, it's OK, calm down." Erica crouched down next to him.

"No it's not! I'm stupid!" Bobby yelled out.

Erica turned to Wonder Woman "What happened?"

"He pointed his gun at his own head!" Wonder Woman picked up Wilkins and held him up against the wall.

"Should've pulled the trigger." Wilkins taunted.

"Shut up." Wonder Woman pushed Wilkin's head against the wall.

Erica took 2 seconds to think about what to do.

"Ok, get Wilkins over to the authorities, and we'll discuss this in private. I'll explain it later."

Wonder Woman figured it was best just to do that, and followed the orders from Erica.

()()()

5 minutes later, Bobby was sitting by himself, with Erica awaiting Wonder Woman's return, but by this time, she had regained her IADC identity, Diana Prince, and she was on her way to talk to Bobby.

"Ok, now what?" Asked Diana.

"We discuss this elsewhere. Don't mention the gun business to Steve." Erica replied.

"Alright. We're all alive, the job's done, everything's in good order." Diana confirmed a job well done.

Bobby kept his head down in heavy guilt.

"Is Bobby going to be OK?" asked Diana.

"He will, but like I said, I want to discuss this in private with you." Erica replied.

()()()

Moments later, Erica was sitting in Diana's Mercedes with her, the most private area they could get, so Erica could explain the logic behind Bobby's actions. Bobby himself was sitting in his truck, and he was visibly upset. He couldn't stop beating himself up verbally.

"So you said he pointed a gun at his own head?" asked Erica.

"Yes." Diana replied.

"Did he tell you he counted the shots?" asked Erica.

Diana took a short pause. "Yes, he did."

Erica smiled a little bit. "He practices what he preaches."

"What do you mean, Erica?" Diana asked.

"You see." Erica pulled her own gun, and ejected the clip "Each IADC issued Beretta holds 12 shots. He told me that, when in combat, it's always wise to count every shot you fire, so you know when to reload without clicking the gun. He counted his shots, and when the 12th shot was fired, he knew the gun was unloaded, and he wouldn't have to worry about blowing his own head off if he pointed it at his own head."

"But you don't just point guns at your own head!" Diana replied.

"I know, but that's the thing about Bobby! In his mind, it was OK to point the gun at himself because he knew it wasn't loaded, and if he pulled the trigger, it wouldn't have killed him. He doesn't comprehend common sense sometimes. This was a lesson today. He knows now it's not a good idea to point guns at his own head...cause he'll remember you getting mad at him and freaking out...and odds are he'll shudder and have a 1-second meltdown every time he remembers it."

Diana laid back in her car seat to think about that.

"So that's his weakness. He doesn't understand common sense?" asked Diana.

"He doesn't socialise well either. He tries, though. The whole thing about pointing the gun at his head was probably an attempt to impress you. His self-confidence sucks and if anything, what you did probably made it worse."

"Oh no." Diana moaned.

"It's not your fault, Diana, you didn't know. He likes you, you know? He thinks you're pretty."

"Yeah, he told me too." Diana replied.

"Good, he's getting braver." Erica grinned a bit.

"So does he hate me now?" asked Diana.

"He probably thinks you hate him. You got mad, and anger is associated with hatred." Erica replied. "Like I said, it's the way he thinks."

"So what do I do to fix it?" asked Diana.

"Talk to him. Let him rant." Erica took a short pause "He's a challenge, alright, but the benefits are amazing, y'know. He's one of the best friends I ever had. He really, really cares about his friends, even if he doesn't always say so or show it. You know how I paid off my house? His skill with numbers. My 69' Dodge charger? His skills with numbers. We went to so many different casinos and ripped them off playing blackjack cause Bobby knows counting cards like a boss. I just sit him behind me, and he kept track of the cards, and we cleared $125,000 over the course of 3 days in a bunch of casinos across the states."

"That's amazing." Diana chuckled a bit.

"We couldn't stay at one table for more than 10 minutes, Bobby started getting anxious and nervous. He gets that way in crowded places. In turn, that made me nervous too. That actually worked to our advantage, we got out of the casinos before they realized they were being taken." Erica laughed a bit at the last thing she talked about.

"That is a bit funny." Diana laughed right along.

"But then one time, I let him be at a restaurant, and he tries charming some girl, and let me just say, the moment he thinks about that happening, he wants to pull his hair out because she just went to town on him, calling him a creep. Sad part was, he believed it and couldn't stop talking about killing himself and calling himself an idiot. Mistakes that cause people to lose their temper, and he feels guilty."

Diana took a deep breath to think about how her outburst might have caused Bobby to feel bad about himself.

"Here's ultimately what it boils down to - He wants to be like everyone else around him, because everyone he grew up with was neurotypical. his dad was neurotypical, and he never got him. He used to beat him silly for all the things he didn't do the neurotypical way. He says his older neurotypical brother is dead to him. He feels alone. He feels that since everyone else is normal and that everyone else gets each other, he feels that his way of thinking...is stupid."

Diana took a deep breath to try and take that all in.

"But." Erica replied "If you know how to manipulate him...and I mean that in a good way, you'll have the greatest friend you know. Trust me. I split the cash we won with him, and he's thankful every day of the week for it. He helped me and my girlfriend move from the rented apartment we shared, to the house we bought with the blackjack winnings. He doesn't judge us like some of those TV pastors do. He set up our stereo, our TV, the works. And as long as you keep him in an enclosed space where he can be alone and no one can look over his shoulder and get in his personal space..." Erica took a short breath "...He'll be the best support guy you ever take on a mission."

()()()()


	7. Take these broken wings

Chapter 7 - Take these broken wings...

()()()

A few moments later, Bobby was on his way to sit in Diana's car and talk with her, perhaps to smooth out the situation. He was still a bit shaken, but willing to hold himself together.

He sat down beside Diana in the passenger side of her Mercedes.

"I'm sorry if I scared you with the gun." was the first thing Bobby said.

"You know, i'm not mad at you...you're right, you did scare me." Diana replied.

"I"m always screwing something up...i'm an idiot." Bobby replied.

"No, you're not! You're just...different." Diana replied.

"But i'm not normal." Bobby turned to look into Diana's eyes intentionally. "Not like you are."

"You saw what happened today? You know who I really am." Diana chuckled a bit. "And you want to call me normal?"

Bobby turned back away, as he couldn't force himself to stare into Diana's piercing eyes any more.

"You're not aspergers like me, though. You're neurotypical. I would kill to be like that."

Diana paused for a moment.

"Tell me why." She prepared for a speech.

"Diana..." Bobby took a breath and turned back to her again. "I'm 28 years old. I'm still a virgin. Girls don't like me because i'm different." Bobby turned his head away again "They say it's not attractive."

"That's not true...there's got to be a girl out there..." Diana took a pause to think if saying such a thing was a good idea. "..Who thinks it is."

"No." Bobby turned to look Diana in the face. "There isn't. Picture yourself dating a guy who keeps track of all the scores he kept playing along with Jeopardy. Picture a guy who talks non-stop about the same thing, over and over. That's not attractive. That's weird." Bobby turned away once again. "They think I have no life."

Diana began to understand a little better.

"And then there's my Vanna White obsession." Bobby said the name of his obsession very, very quickly. "I wish I could wake up one day, and just not think about her. I like her, she's pretty, but what would happen if I showed up in Myrtle Beach in North Carolina? I know all there is to know about her. She'd think I was watching her and following her and stalking her."

"But you're not." Diana replied.

"I feel like I am...and I hate myself for it." Bobby quickly replied.

"Going back to the girls..." Diana jumped back to the original topic. "Here's my advice. When you like a girl, don't be afraid to just talk to her. If she calls you things...she's just shallow and rude. Don't generalize women. Trust me..." Diana paused for a moment. "When I came to the United States from Themyscira, I generalized men...and learned that was dead wrong because not all men are pigs...just like all women aren't shallow."

"But I don't generalize about Erica, she's a girl too...and she's a lesbian, and I don't care that she is."

"That's one of your better traits...I like Erica too." Diana smiled "I don't care that she's a lesbian either...back home in Themyscira, lesbians are part of culture."

"I just wish I could be like you and her, neurotypical." Bobby added.

"Bobby, you've got an amazing gift. Your talent with numbers, the computer, the security set-up, it's super. It's a superpower. It really is."

"Superpower? Diana, Don't you understand? I'm the only person I know with this disorder. No one understands me! NO ONE! I don't even understand myself! I'm alone! I would throw it away because I don't want to be alone inside this mind! Don't you know what being like this is like?"

"You would throw your aspergers away? You had the security set up all over the mall, you were watching over us, bobby. With your aspergers...you're an angel."

Then Bobby shed a tear out of the corner of his eye.

"If i'm an angel..." Then another tear flowed"...I'm an angel with broken wings."

Bobby choked up and the first thing Diana did was hug him and hold him together.

"It's Ok, Bobby." Diana whispered in Bobby's ear.

For a good 5 minutes, Bobby sobbed and tried his best to hold himself together. He really did feel alone in a world full of neurotypicals.

"I wanted to bring something up that might cheer you up." Diana started.

"What?" Bobby couldn't muster much of a reply.

"I want you...on my team for future missions. If I need a computer-support-numbers person, I want you working with me...is that OK with you?" asked Diana.

"It is." Bobby wiped his eyes, which were red from the stinging of tears.

"That's good." Diana replied calmly. "Bobby, you're not a bad person. You're just different, OK? Can I give you some advice?"

"What?" Bobby was calmed down.

"You know what you face. Accept it for what it is, and keep learning, never stop learning. And if I know women in man's world..." Diana took a bit of a depressed chuckle "...There's always going to be a girl for you...somewhere."

"What makes you say that?" asked Bobby.

"Because there are some girls with worse self-esteem than you. They're looking for love in all the wrong places. One might come along and take her chances with you..."

"..And then find out that i'm a weirdo."

"...just wait, let me finish." Diana cut back into the conversation. "And she'll see you, and she'll like your eyes, your truck, the amount of money you make, your hair, and she won't care about the way you are, she'll figure out how to work around it...but you have to be willing to sacrifice certain aspects of your life for her sake, otherwise she'll realize it won't work. Sacrificing habits...that's called being a good boyfriend."

"You mean not be true to myself?" Bobby asked.

"No, it's not like that, it's a compliment to her." Diana replied. "Girls love it when you do what they say, because it shows you really do like them, and you like them enough to change for them to make the relationship better...and also, they prefer you always, and I mean, ALWAYS say nice things about them. Even if it's not true."

Bobby nodded his head.

"Are you going to be fine? See you at work tommorow?" asked Diana.

"I'm in from 4pm to 11:30pm, Steve wanted me to do a defragmentation on IRA, it's due."

Diana didn't understand what that meant, and she didn't really care.

"I'll see you then, i'm in from 12 to 5, it's my short day." Diana replied.

The 2 agents hugged one last time, and Bobby got out of Diana's 1973 mercedes 450sl to get back into his 1984 Chevrolet Scottsdale.

"I'll call you when I need a support guy." Diana reminded Bobby.

"I'll await the call." bobby replied.

"You've got it, Bobby. See you at work."

And with that, the 2 agents went their seperate ways, and left the mall for the Biohazard specialists to deal with, leaving behind a nightmare.

()()()

THE END


	8. Credits

Written by: Phil from Produce

Edited by: Phil from Produce

Original Characters by: Phil from Produce

Legal Disclaimer: All characters are owned by their respective companies. Wonder Woman was created by William Moulton Marston and is owned by DC comics. Neither party has knowledge of the use of their character in this fanfiction. I do not take profit for the characters' inclusions in this fanfiction.

()()()

Envisioned Actors/Actresses

()

Diana Prince/Wonder Woman

Envisioned Actress: Lynda Carter Est. 1977

()

Erica "Clutch" Callahan

Envisioned Actress: Sandra Bernhard Est. 1998.

()

Bobby Sparrow

Envisioned Actor: Matthew Grey Gubler Est. 2016

()

Steve Trevor

Envisioned Actor: Lyle Waggoner Est. 1977

()

Jim Wilkins

Envisioned Actor: Bryan Cranston Est. 2015

()()()

Envisioned Soundtrack

()

"At Doom's Gate"

Composed by Bobby Prince

Moment of play: The infection begins.

()

"Computer Age"

Performed by Sweet Comfort Band

Moment of Play: Bobby sets up the computer.

()

"Broken Wings"

Performed by Mr. Mister

Moment of Play: credits

()

()()()

 **This story is dedicated to all the angels with broken wings. May you learn to fly again, and live free in the neurotypical world.**

()()()

-This story takes place long before the series with the Coat, and it's a stand-alone story, written by author Phil was going through a huge bout with depression from his aspergers.

-Written after Phil had a conversation through youtube comments with Alyssa Huber, another person diagnosed with Aspergers. She created the documentary "Through our eyes." which is available for viewing on youtube.

-The story's title comes from the Mr. Mister song. Phil had it in his head, and thought it went perfect with someone who would be suffering the negative effects of aspergers. The positives of Aspergers might make one feel like he or she is an angel. The negatives might make them feel like they have "Broken wings."

-First story in which Phil visualized the original Wonder Woman TV series actors (Lynda Carter and Lyle Waggoner) Together. In the coat series, Bob Barker was envisioned as Steve Trevor due to the fact at that point in time, he's much older, and Lyle Waggoner just didn't look as old as Bob Barker did.

-Wilkins Coffee was a real brand from the 1950's. It's ad campaign was extremely memorable for it's violence, with Jim Henson using muppets named Wilkins and Wontkins that would promote the brand. Wilkins was basically Kermit the Frog, and he was enthusiastic about the coffee, while Wontkins hated it. Wilkins would assault and murder Wontkins and come up with a cheesy pun to go along with it.

-The 4th chapter's title comes from the 70's TV series finale, titled "The Boy who knew her secret."

-Continuing a tradition of sorts, There's a christian song featured in the envisioned soundtrack - "Computer Age" by the Sweet Comfort Band, another group from Phil's childhood.

-First Phil from Produce Fanfic to feature a dedication in the credits. On that note, for those who don't get what it means, it means "Dedicated to those who are diagnosed with aspergers, and are struggling to understand, and be understood by others who are normal. (Neurotypical)

-The Character of Erica "Clutch" Callahan is based on Phil's favorite boss at his job. To him, She looks almost exactly like actress Sandra Bernhard (just with a smaller nose and lips), so he figured to envision her in the role of a caretaker of sorts for Bobby, as someone who sees his advantages and knows how to use them to both their benefit.

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